


Clown in the Dumps

by Weavillain



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Gen, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 07:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13782813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weavillain/pseuds/Weavillain
Summary: When Lily becomes the center of attention, Lola is more than a little irritated. But what's a pageant winner to do about that? Why, get some revenge, of course!





	1. Chapter 1

The weekends were a haven for a certain pageant extraordinaire to unwind and enjoy the gaiety of approximately forty-eight hours of free time all to herself. Even perfect little princesses like her needed to take a break from being so gloriously radiant all the time, basking the commoners in her brilliance and improving their lives simply by being loosely associated with them.

That wasn't the case for Lola Loud on this Sunday afternoon, however. Today, she had a goal in mind and whether she wanted to admit it or not, it would require her to put her best foot forward and engage in a task that would whisk her away from the pleasure of goofing off with the rest of her siblings.

Tomorrow was yet another pageant that she planned on dominating. Normally, the prim and precise nature of pageantry would be a breeze for the six-year-old pageant prodigy but unlike the ordinary hum-drum of these extravagant events, this upcoming one emphasized the talent aspect more than any of the other category and the scores would count twice as much as they ordinarily would.

At first, Lola paid no heed to the atypical stipulation since she always came out on top with either singing or her dazzling ribbon dance and planned to do the same again. But as the big day came crawling ever closer, her attitude changed when she thought of one person that would attempt to seize the first-place trophy for herself with this opportunity.

Lindsey Sweetwater. Unlike the other pageant participants that Lola looked down on, Lindsey was somewhat capable. She was at least competent enough to eat the most of her dust by always coming in second place of her. In Lola's mind, her shortcomings molded her into a sad, desperate creature, bred from the experiences of humiliation and frustration of always coming within an inch of usurping her rival from atop of her perch. There was no doubt in Lola's mind that she'd try and pull off something ornate and glitzy in the talent portion to shove her out of the spotlight.

And Lola wasn't about to let that happen. She could no longer rest on her laurels. She'd have to rely on something a little bit out of her comfort zone to ensure that she'd add yet another pageant win to her resume but then again, Irish step-dancing couldn't be  _that_  hard. Surely, she could at least have the basics down in one day.

Right?

* * *

"Gown?"

Lola peered down and smirked at the lime green gown that she was wearing, finding satisfaction in the overall appearance of the outfit.

"Check."

Being the brilliant girl that she was, she had a gown for practically every color of the rainbow stocked up in her closet, ready to be worn for any occasion and of course, what was an Irish-step dance without some green?

It took a lot of puppy dog eyed stares, begging, and blackmailing on her end but after about a few days, Leni had finally weaved all the gowns that Lola had requested from her seamstress of a sister.

"Mirror?"

As if she needed to wonder if it was still in her bedroom or not. With a turn of her head to her left, there "she" was, peering back at her through the reflection of one of her most prized possessions as it roosted next to her closet. "She" waved back at Lola and grinned at the resplendent figure that gave her the utmost gratification.

Truly, a mirror's reflection, and one that disclosed her beauty in all its glory, was one of life's greatest treasures.

"Check."

Only one last item on the checklist. With an extra pep in her step, even with the accustomed sight that she was about to behold, Lola shuffled over to the front of her closet and grabbed the knobs of the doors.

"Daily reminder of your past accomplishments and the tears of agony shed from your enemies as their self-esteem shatters and crumbles under the weight of your magnificence and ever-growing collection of first place trophies and ribbons?"

She flung the doors wide open and smirked smugly at what she saw. An entire stack of gleaming, golden trophies stacked on the top shelf and an assortment of ribbons decked the inside of the doors; a testament to her prowess that could only be harnessed by a goddess in human form.

"Check."

She inspected her prizes on last time before she shut her closet off. Her mind focused back on the choreography that she was sure to master in two, maybe three hours tops. She could just taste the exhilaration of her forthcoming victory on her tongue, like the sweetest, fluffiest piece of cotton candy ever spun.

Gleefully, she clenched her fist and raised it high as she loudly declared, "Look out, pageant world, because Lola's comin' to take the gold once again!"

* * *

' _Okay, so maybe Irish step dancing is a_ _teensy_ _bit more difficult than my usual routines.'_

Wearily, Lola pushed herself off the floor, ignoring the sharp pain in her legs from the exhaustion of her efforts. That had been the…twenty-third(?) time she had fallen on her butt after tripping over her own two feet. For the past two hours, her dexterity failed her as try and she might, she couldn't get through thirty seconds of dancing without stumbling over her limbs after tripping herself up.

But now, many "owies", frustrated grunts, and pillow-muffled shrieks later, Lola had enough. She was clearly lacking some much-needed guidance and had one person in mind who was sure to help her out of this bind.

' _Whatever. I'll just get Mom to spot me as I practice_ ,' she thought.

From what she recalled from her father, she took up ballet in high school and even carried on dancing to this day along with her father in various evening dance classes. Of course, since she never did anything like, say, accidentally fling her dance partners into rose bushes, Lola figured that only her mother could be relied on.

But then again, maybe Lana would have a different opinion than her. It wouldn't be a bad idea to consult her to see if she could…hold on…wait a second.

' _Now that I notice, I haven't seen anyone all day.'_

That wasn't  _entirely_  true. She had seen them around breakfast and of course, Lana couldn't help but barge in on her this morning to drop off some flies that she had caught for Izzy and Hops but other than that… _nothing_.

It finally dawned on Lola that she had about two hours of solitude to herself, a rarity for anyone in her large family. Lola began pondering on what could've occupied her family's attention. Sure, it was more than likely that they all had their own plans but still…that inevitability wasn't pleasant to her.

She frowned and folded her arms, contempt slowly but surely simmering in her blood.

' _And they all know that my next pageant is tomorrow! What could be more important than watching me practice before the big show?!'_

Sure, she had proven a long time ago that she was more than capable of managing her pageant preparations all on her own but still, did that mean that they had the right to just flat out ignore her?

Heck no! She was going to get to the bottom of this and say her piece about being forgotten so easily!

With that, Lola stormed out of her room, not forgetting to slam the door behind her to emphasize her rage. She figured that that would alert someone's attention to her but when that failed, she growled lowly and stomped down the stairs, not minding how the obnoxious clacking of her shoes against the wood pounded in her ears. Before she could get any further than a quarter of the way down, however, a sound made her pause.

Was that…? Yes, it most definitely was.

Giggling. But not just any giggling, the kind that gave away that the giggler was looking at something cute. And what made this revelation all the more vexing was that it wasn't just one person giggling affectionately. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew it was coming from her family, who were apparently all standing around in the living room all at once.

Lola grit her teeth as hot breath snorted out of her nostrils. What could possibly be cuter than her?! What could garner their attention so badly that could just forget that she existed?!

Lola raced down the stairs faster, not stopping until she made it all the way down. She turned to her right and sure enough, there were the culprits, standing together in a huddle and looking down at something that was in the middle of their circle.

As she moved in on them, intent on figuring out what was causing all of this, the group's collective sigh of, "Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww!" threw her for a loop. Whatever this thing was really must've had them enchanted.

' _Not if I have anything to say about it!'_

Finally, she made to the huddle and without warning, shoved past a jungle of sturdy legs, squeezing through and weaving past disgruntled family members that she had roughly dug into. At last, she made it into the center and found, to her absolute befuddlement…

Lily? But not just Lily, it was some doll that she was clearly finding amusement in as she lightly tossed it in the air before squeezing it tightly in a hug before repeating the cycle. The doll, as far as Lola could tell, was supposed to have a clown motif to it; the large red nose, the painted face, the wacky blue hair, the giant clown shoes…it all screamed clown.

But now that everything was coming together for Lola, her indignation gave way to confusion.

"Seriously? This is what's been getting everyone's attention all this time? It's just Lily playing with some dumb clown doll. What's the big deal?" she asked out loud.

"I'll have you know that Miss Molly is not a 'dumb clown doll'."

Lola gulped. She knew that voice and the tone of it suggested that her father wasn't happy about Lily's favorite new toy being called dumb. She turned around and saw him looking down at her, as if he was daring her to comment with more disparaging remarks. To both Lola's bewilderment and slight disgust, the rest of her family had gone back to being smitten zombies as they fawned over she knew were Lily's antics.

"Miss Molly?" Lola asked nervously, attempting to restore goodwill despite her prior insult.

The ploy worked to her advantage as a smile, veiling pride and nostalgia, ventured across Lynn Sr.'s face.

"It was a line of toy dolls that I grew up with when I was a child. My parents got her for me for my seventh birthday and I've had her ever since. Thing is, I haven't been able to find her until today when I was cleaning out the attic. Once I did, I decided to give her to Lily and well, as they say…"

He quickly cast a look down at his baby girl, who was now tugging at Miss Molly's hair, and chuckled before giving his attention back to Lola.

"The rest is history."

Lola's face scrunched up as her father's statement registered in her brain.

"Wait, you wanted a  _girl's_  toy when you were a kid?" she asked incredulously.

"What?" her father countered defensively as he shrugged. "The cartoon that the toy was based on was funny. And besides, her rubber nose makes a funny squeaky sound when you honk it."

On cue, Lily's grubby fingers squeezed the nose of the doll, eliciting a sharp squeaking sound that made her audience go, "Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww!" once more.

"See?"

Lola groused at the affectionate response but shoved her slightly hurt feelings to the side. She needed her mother and standing around and seething wasn't going to help her out…

But hold on…where  _was_  her mother? Her sisters, her only brother, and her father were present but her mother? Nowhere in sight.

"Dad, where's Mom?" Lola asked. "I need her for something super-duper important."

Instinctively, Lynn Sr. rubbed the back of his neck and looked off to the side. Lola's heart sank. That was never a good sign.

Before she could ask him again, Lynn Sr. knelt on one knee and grabbed her by both her shoulders. The sinking feeling in her chest only grew and festered, burning her belly with a bad premonition on the horizon.

"Sorry, sweetie, you'll have to wait for her to get back from the electronics store. We need more memory for Luan's video camera so we can film more footage of Lily."

Lola's entire body shivered and shook as her face bloomed with a deep crimson.

"Are you serious?! My pageant's tomorrow! I need Mom so she can help me with-"

"Lola, I'm sure whatever you need can wait until she comes back," Lynn Sr. sternly replied. "Until then, you'll just have to be patient."

Lola's temper quickly gave way to desperation. Her shoulders slouched and her eyes began to water.

"But I-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww!"

At that, Lynn Sr. excitedly looked past Lola towards Lily.

"Oh, oh, what'd she do this time?!" he cried, getting off the floor and gently nudging Lola off to the side.

Lola just stared off into space blankly, stunned at how easily she had been brushed aside. Of course, she knew that Lily was adorable in her own right and that as a baby, she needed the most attention when it came to being taken care of.

But Lily didn't need to be fed. She didn't need to be burped. She didn't need her diaper changed. She was just tossing around some old toy and apparently, that was all it took to get her entire family's focus on her. Meanwhile, she couldn't get the time of day in her moment of need

Lola felt one tear slide down her cheek before she mentally slapped herself and rubbed her eyes furiously. She could be tougher than this! She could survive without mommy for a few more hours! And if it came down to it, she could survive without her help!

Looking back at Lily and snorting scornfully, she made her way past her siblings and headed for her room, determined not to let a minor setback get in her way and her divine right to rule the pageant scene!

* * *

_One hour later…_

Great. Just great. This was  _exactly_  what Lola needed right now. She had no idea how she had managed to accidentally step on a corner of her gown mid-dance and make a noticeable tear but she had. What made it all worse for her was that unlike her pink gowns, her green one was one of a kind, meaning that in order to replace what was ruined, she'd either have to get a new one just like it or ask for Leni to patch up the tear herself.

Lola was a bit deliberate of seeking out her less than averagely intelligent sister, given how she might still be occupied with giving Lily her undivided attention, though she quickly battered down her worries. Surely, she had grown tired of Lily's shenanigans by now. Besides, with less than twenty-four hours before the pageant, what choice did she have?

Finding the matter settled, Lola shuffled out of her room, looking around the hallway for any signs of Leni. She sighed wearily when she couldn't spot her so what else could she do but search for her more actively?

She was about to do just that by checking downstairs but an open door, and the only one she could see at that, caught her attention. She knew it was Lynn and Lucy's room, and Leni was most likely not there, but peeking her head through the doorway was worth the minimal effort.

And so, she did just that, finding everything that she would expect; some vampire novels scattered on the floor, Lynn's gym clothes piled in one heap in the middle of the room, Leni sprawled out on Lynn's bed while flipping through a fashion magazine, Fangs hanging upside down while he slept, a baseball bat leaning against Lynn's dresser, a few of…wait…what?

"Leni?"

Lola couldn't believe her eyes or her good fortune. To her delight, Leni was right where she needed her! Sure, she was in an odd place but she wasn't about to complain.

Leni peered up over her magazine and smiled at her little sister.

"Hi, Lola. What's up?"

It only took half a second for that smile to crumble and give way to an expression of sheer horror as Leni dropped the magazine and shielded her sunglasses protectively.

"Wait, don't tell me you're here to break my sunglasses again!" she wailed.

Lola shrugged. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I accidentally flushed one of your tiaras down the toilet and never confessed until just now!"

Bile nearly streamed out of Lola's ears at the confession as she placed her hands on her hips and shouted, "You did  _what_?!"

Leni sunk further into the bed, trembling.

"I thought it was a bookmark and I was using it for one of my fashion magazines!"

Lola took a deep, relaxing breath before she completely flipped her lid and lashed out against who she hoped would be her benefactor. Revenge wouldn't get her gown fixed.

"Look," Lola sighed, "forget it. I'll let that slide as long as you…"

Before she could continue, her curiosity of Leni's choice of reading places took over.

"Wait, why are you in Lynn and Lucy's room anyways?" she asked while scratching her head

Leni scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Lola, don't be silly. This isn't…"

In quite a rare moment of clarity, Leni stopped herself before she looked around and realized…

"Woah. This  _is_  Lynn and Lucy's room." She took a light whiff of the air before she cringed. "No wonder it smells like sweaty gym socks in here."

Flopping off Lynn's bed, Leni met her sister out in the hallway.

"So, like, do you need me for something, Lola?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Lola replied before she pointed at her problem. "I need you to fix this tear in my gown. I'll be needing it for my pageant tomorrow and I have to look my best."

Leni bent down to scrutinize the tear at a better angle. She mumbled to herself while studiously glancing from top to bottom. Finally, she straightened up, grinning confidently.

"Oh, I can totes patch that up. I'll have it nice and spiffy before the big show," Leni assured.

Lola squealed and rushed forward to latch herself onto Leni's leg in a big hug.

"Thanks, Leni! You're the best!" she cried.

Finally, she had gotten a break after having what she was sure would be the worst Sunday of her life by the time today was said and done.. Now, all that was left to do was let her reliable big sister work her magic and get her-

"Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww!"

Lola's eyes widened.  _'Oh no.'_

Leni hopped up and down gleefully, inadvertently shaking Lola off her in the process.

"Lily must've done something cute again!" she shouted before running downstairs to where that loud "Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww!" had come from.

"Leniiiiiiii!" Lola cried as she watched Leni disappeared from her sight.

Pure resentment sparked from within and with mighty swings, Lola pounded the floor repeatedly in a full-fledged tantrum.

"Oh, come on! Again?!"

* * *

_Later that evening…_

Laid out on the living room couch, Lola flipped through channel after channel with the remote, not finding anything enticing about the assortment of commercials and shows that flashed by. By all means, Lola should've, and would've, been thrilled about having the TV all to herself for a change but of course, today was anything but a regular day for her. She was far too distracted by everything wrong that had happened today to enjoy herself.

Her gown was still ruined. Her Irish step-dancing routine had barely made any progress. Her mother was still nowhere to be found. And of course, everyone was still giving Lily all of their attention, as if they had nothing better to do than show slavish devotion to a baby and some creepy looking toy from the attic.

Whatever. Fine by her. She didn't care. Couldn't care less, as a matter of fact. She didn't feel utterly helpless and betrayed. Nope, nope, nope. She was just peachy. In fact, her mother could walk through that door right now and she wouldn't even give her a passing glance. Who needed her, anyways? If she wanted to gush over Lily, she could do that all night for all she ca-

Lola perked up when she heard the lock of the front door unlock. Without thinking, she slid off the couch and stood by the front door, waiting for it to open and reveal none other than…

"Mom!"

Rita stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She gave her enlivened daughter a little pat on the head, taking care not to drop the black plastic bag that she had in her other hand.

"Hi, Lola. How's my favorite princess in the whole wide world?"

Lola beamed. "Great!"

Finally, someone in her family that didn't seem to be inconvenienced just by her existing. But she couldn't revel in this attention for much longer, though. There was a reason she needed her mother and with just a couple of hours before bedtime, her window of opportunity was shrinking.

"But you know what'll make me feel even better?" Lola asked while batting her eyes and grinning as widely as possible.

"Actually, Lola, could you hold that thought?" Rita told her. "I need to look for your father."

Lola's mood soured on the spot. But before she could object to being looked over, she heard heavy footsteps barreling towards them from upstairs. It stopped when the perpetrator, her father, came into view as he stood in front of his wife.

"Rita! Oh, thank heavens, you're here!" Lynn Sr. said. "Did you get the memory?"

"I did you one better!" Rita reported as she rummaged into her plastic bag and pulled out a box that had a picture of a fancy video camera plastered on it. "I kept driving around and going from store to store until I could find the best video camera in town! Not only does it have the best specs but it even comes built in with 4K resolution!"

She stored it back inside before facing Lynn Sr. again.

"I  _was_  going to get something like this for Luan's birthday present but I'm sure she'll understand if I give it to her now, given the circumstances. So, anyways, what'd I miss?"

"About five hours' worth of footage," Lynn Sr. replied. "Not to worry, though. Luan compiled it all onto one tape. We're watching it in her room right now if you want to look."

"Sounds terrific! Let's get going!" Rita cried delightfully.

"Wait!"

Before the couple could speed off, their daughter, the one whom they had forgotten was standing right beside them, called them to a halt. They looked over as a clearly distressed Lola walked up to her mother, her eyes full of imploration.

"Mom, I really need your help with my pageant. I need you to watch me practice my dancing so you can-"

"Dancing? Lola, you don't need my help with that! You're a great dancer!" Rita insisted.

Lola frowned at how much it looked like her mother was trying to do everything in her power not to help her when she needed her.

"Well, yeah, but I'm trying something a little different for my pageant and I'm not used the steps. Can't you at least give me a few pointers?"

Rita shook her head. "Honey, as much as I'd love to, right now, I've got a baby and her dolly to gush over. Maybe later, okay?"

"But, Mom, can't you-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww!"

' _And of course, that has to happen. Just great.'_

Lola just sighed, knowing that it was hopeless to even try to plead her case any further. She watched as her parents raced off to Luan's room to do what they had been doing expertly for the entire day; ignoring her.

Apparently, all it took was a new toy and her baby sister to make her feelings, her goals, and her needs insignificant.

Apparently, she'd need to continue down the path of a loner not out of a desire but out of having no other option left.

Apparently, she'd have to prove herself wrong by going back to her room and mastering the art of Irish-step dancing by herself without her mother's help and get her gown made good as new on her own.

And that suited her just fine. Her pride had been taken down several notches already and if she could win the pageant all on her own, she'd have the bragging rights to throw in the faces of her family, her supposed loved ones who were supposed to help each other no matter what. After all the injustices she had faced already, what would be a sweeter victory than that?

Lola punched her open hand and smirked. She had work to do and she just knew that it would all pay off.

* * *

_The next day..._

"Well, we're almost there, sweetie. How're you feeling?"

Lola grumbled under her breath at the question as she stared out the window closet to her passenger seat. She had a feeling that her mother's curiosity wasn't genuine.

Why would it? After all, she didn't act the least bit apologetic about leaving her to practice alone in her bedroom all night yesterday after suggesting that she could give her a little help later.

' _Oh, so_ _now_ _you care how I feel, huh?'_

"Fine," Lola answered unenthusiastically and slouched in her seat. "Just fine."

If anything, Lola was more apprehensive than "just fine". Even though she had dedicated herself to winning the gold on her own, ultimately, she had stubbornly chosen to go at it with the incomplete Irish step dancing and tattered gown (that she had to manually stitch up with some staples), wanting the satisfaction of winning at a disadvantage that her family had failed to unburden her from.

"I'm sure you'll come out on top," Lynn Sr. said from the driver's seat. "You usually do."

"Sure," Lola replied listlessly, continuing to watch the busy streets and buildings flash by.

They'd be there in about ten minutes. Only ten minutes until rubber met the road and Lola was left to either race towards the finish or crash and burn before she had a choice in the matter.

But one thing was for certain; she  _wasn't_  going to run away from the challenge and she  _was_  going to win.

* * *

Silence blanketed over Vanzilla like a dense fog. The elephant in the van beckoned for either Lynn Sr. or Rita to speak out but neither had the courage to do it, especially knowing what Lola had just been through.

The pageant, by all means, wasn't too much of a disaster for Lola. Yes, while she didn't win, she had at least managed to get in the winner's circle and come out in third place. Most girls would be thankful to be ranked so highly out of ten contestants but if anyone knew about Lola's temperament when it came to not ranking ahead of the pack, it was her parents.

Finally, Lynn Sr. had enough and looked back at Lola, who was folding her arms and glaring out the window as she small, bronze third place trophy rested in her lap. He hated seeing his daughter so down on herself and wanted to assure her that she had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Now, Lola, I know that third place wasn't exactly what you were aiming for but…"

He paused to collect his thoughts, trying to maneuver his way through this conversation without setting his daughter off.

"I mean, you can't win 'em all, y'know? I'm sure you'll do better next time."

"Next time?" Lola growled.

Missing out on the obvious cue that she wasn't happy, Lynn Sr. continued as if nothing was amiss.

"Why, of course. There'll be more pageants in the future. You can't get hung up ov-"

"NEXT TIME?!"

Vanzilla nearly veered onto the sidewalk as the outburst knocked Lynn Sr. off his stride for a second before he could gain control.

"I did not practice by butt off all day yesterday for third place! Lola Loud does not finish behind anyone!  _Anyone_! Especially to Lindsey Sweetwater, who, might I add, has  _my_  first-place trophy!"

Like Lola expected Sweetwater, her rival went all in with the talent segment and managed to get the highest score after impressing the judges with her unicycle riding act. Meanwhile, because of her adherence to an art form that she only had less than a day at practice at, her sloppy, uncoordinated movements only ranked her fifth overall place with the talent segment. Thankfully, she ranked first in every other category but still…

She had failed. That was the most important thing right now and her parents had the audacity to pretend like they were on her side.

"And that's not even the worst of it!" Lola ranted further. "It's bad enough that I lose to her, of all people, but that one girl, Natasha Petrov, comes in and takes second place! She's not even a seasoned veteran and she ranked higher than me!"

"Hey, c'mon, Lola. That Natasha girl was very talented. You can't blame the judges for being impressed," Rita nervously attempted at pacification.

"Talented?! She armpit-farted the Russian anthem! I lost to armpit-farting! Do you not understand how humiliating that is?!"

"Hey, it's not easy as you think," Lynn Sr. interjected. "Why, I'll have you know that I can only get through one-third of 'I've Been Working on the Railroad'. Watch."

He was just about to take his hands off the steering wheel to show off his proficiency but thankfully, Rita quickly grasped his hands and placed them back where they belonged.

"Um, Lynn, why don't you show Lola your little symphony when you're  _not_  driving a vehicle with two passengers in it?"

Lynn Sr. shrunk back at his wife's understandably dirty look.

"Oh, right. Whoops," he chuckled sheepishly.

"Okay, does no one care about me at all?!" Lola shrieked, shoving her trophy out of her lap.

Rita sighed. "Of course, we care, Lola. We just think that you ought to stop getting bothered over not finishing in first place. Like your father said, you can't win them all."

"But that's not the point!" Lola countered, feeling herself feeling more irritated by the second.

"Oh?" Rita challenged. "Then what is the point?"

"The fact that this," Lola said as she picked up her fallen trophy and waved it in the air, "isn't my fault!"

Just before her father could say anything, Lola cut him off. She was tired of everyone being left in the dark about something that she felt she was a victim for and was no longer going to hold back.

"If everyone hadn't blown me off over some doll and my baby sister, I could've gotten enough help to win! I had to pay for my entire family acting like drooling monkeys over a stupid toy and a stupid baby that can't go five minutes with playing with it!"

"And that's where I draw the line!" Lynn Sr. barked.

Lola spluttered. "What?!"

"You heard me, Lola!"

"But that's not fair! I'm not the one who-"

"Not another word!"

Though her pride urged her to fight back, she knew better than to retort any further now that she had landed herself into a big heap of trouble. So, instead of talking back, Lola just frowned further to show off how defiantly peeved she was.

Her father was looking at her through the rear-view mirror with a glare of his own now.

"Lola, if this is the way you're going to act about pageants, then I promise you that you'll never enter another one ever again!"

He simmered down and addressed her again.

"Now, I want to hear an apology."

Lola sulked. Apologizing for being neglected was entirely unfair but if she was going to redeem herself in the future, she needed to get in her parents' good graces once more.

"I'm sorry," she muttered just loud enough for her father to hear.

She didn't mean a word of it, though, but as luck would have it, he didn't seem to notice.

"For what?" he urged.

"For getting out of line and blaming everyone else for coming in third place."

Even though it was true.

"And?"

"For calling my family a bunch of drooling monkeys."

Even though  _that_  was true, too.

"What else?"

Lola frowned, knowing what her father wanted her to say. Ironically, even though she knew she should feel bad about  _that_  bit of her rant, it was the most difficult to utter.

"I shouldn't have called Lily a 'stupid baby'," she spat out reluctantly.

Satisfied, Lynn Sr. directed his eyes back on the road while his wife stepped in.

"Good. I hope I never hear you say anything like that ever again. Are we clear?" Rita demanded sternly.

Lola stopped herself from rolling her eyes before she answered her. "Yes, Mom."

* * *

Finally, Vanzilla came to a stop at the Loud house driveway. Immediately, Lola unbuckled herself and stepped out of the van, holding onto her humble trophy with one hand as she calmly shut the door with the other. It took a lot of effort not to bemoan her misery after her parents had effectively shut her up but it wasn't like she had a say in the matter anymore.

All she wanted now was the dignity of a quiet afternoon to finish her homework in peace so she could push everything that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours behind her. It wouldn't do her any good to stew about her loss when it seemed like no one cared about her point of view, anyways.

Her parents followed her close behind as they approached the front door through the walkway. Once they got there, Lynn Sr. was just about to open the door with his keys but it flung open before he could get the chance.

There, standing in front of them, was Lori, who was all smiles and seemed to be chomping at the bit to tell them something important. Lola noticed that behind her were her siblings who were once again, surrounding who she was sure was Lily and her favorite plaything.

Typical.

"Mom, Dad, Lola, you have to come see!" Lori said.

"See what?" Rita replied.

"Lily's playing peekaboo with Miss Molly!"

"Seriously?!" Lynn Sr. cried.

"I'm literally dead serious! Hurry!"

With that, Rita and Lynn Sr. hurried to join in the conglomerate of admirers who just couldn't help but take their eyes off of the youngest Loud.

Lola, on the other hand, just stared at them from afar, shocked. Clearly, they had been occupied with Lily this while time, meaning that none of them even bothered to watch her performance on the Princess Channel. Sure, it was less than ideal for them to have them witness her sloppy showing but at least it would show that they cared about her, something that she felt less and less sure about every time she had the displeasure of walking in on her family paying mind to Lily above everything else.

The writing was on the wall now, as clear as day. She didn't need a bigger hint to know that not only had she not come first in the pageant, she finished behind Lily, a baby who could command everyone's attention with but a few gestures while she could work herself to the bone and not have anyone bat an eye.

But something else became as clear as day to her, too. She had told her parents as much herself; she didn't finish behind anyone and that included her own baby sister.

And if no one was going to recognize that, then there was only one thing left to do.

Baby or not, Lily was going to pay.


	2. Chapter 2

_Later that evening…_

Much like the sky darkened, so too did Lola's heart when she dedicated herself to the morbid task at hand. Even now, as she tiptoed into Lisa and Lily's bedroom, ready to execute her revenge, the inner depths of her black soul persisted that she not relent, that she not give in to the lull of decency that bounced around in her head and begged her to reconsider her course of action.

' _She's just a baby,'_  it spoke.  _'She meant you no harm.'_

But would her unintentional sabotage remove the blemish of mediocrity from her pageant resume? Would that taunting gleam of her bronze trophy adhere a sheen of luster that would make it redeemable, worthy to be stocked with her horde of noteworthy accolades? Would her innocence keep her family from once again, dedicating themselves to sitting in Luan's room while they watched yet another highlight of her frolic and fun, much like they were right now?

No. No, it most certainly would not and that was all that mattered.

Finally, Lola stood before her target; the crib that housed the source of her annoyance. With minimal effort, she scaled up the bars as quietly as she could, cringing with each creak her ascent made. The light snoring, that she heard from the doorway earlier, indicated that Lily was sleeping like a…well, what she was, obviously and what was more obvious to Lola was that she could not afford to be woken up.

Once at the top, Lola peered down and sure enough, there laid Lily, unaware of the shadow of her vengeful sister as it covered her entirely.

' _Don't do it, Lola,'_ her conscience begged once more.  _'You wouldn't dare hurt your own little sister, would you?'_

Ignoring the anguish that conflicted with her mission, Lola gingerly stepped inside the crib, making sure not to accidentally step on Lily in the process. She gazed around the small, cramped vicinity, finding no luck in zeroing in on her target.

' _Where is it? Where could that stupid doll be? It's got to be somewhere in…aha! Bingo!'_

There she laid on the far corner of the crib. Lola rubbed her hands in delight as she moved in for the swift retrieval. With one quick swipe, she snatched up the Miss Molly toy and without looking back at Lily, lest her conscience try to appeal to her better senses again, she shimmied down the crib and made a beeline for the door.

Lola stifled a wicked chuckle at how her scheme worked to perfection. Now, all that was left to do was throw this ugly, putrid accomplice of her downfall into the trash and be rid of it forever.

Nothing would stop her now! Nothing would deter her from-

"Lola?"

Lola skidded to a halt before she could make it downstairs.

She gulped.  _'L-Luan?'_

She pivoted around, simultaneously shuffling the doll behind her back in the process, and tried to will her thumping heart to cease beating as she calmly, cordially addressed-

"I didn't do it!"

Well, so much for that. There was no way that Luan wasn't going to notice something was off with her.

No…hold on. Despite the confused expression on her face, to Lola's relief, she didn't look like she was privy to her plot.

Phew. That was a close one.

"Do what?" Luan asked.

Lola mentally told the butterflies in her gut to take five as what she hoped was an innocuous grin formed on her sweaty, jittery face.

"Oh, uh, um…n-nothing, of course! I-I was just…"

' _Think, Lola, think!'_

"I was…uh…q-quoting a…movie?"

Luan blinked and then frowned incredulously.

"Okaaaaaaay," she drawled.

But then, her skepticism evaporated before Lola could crumble under the pressure of her incredulous gaze, as if the past five seconds never happened.

"But hey, speaking of movies, we're watching one of Lily and her new toy. I was looking for you since I didn't you with the rest of us. You wanna watch it with us?" Luan proposed with a grin.

"Uh, no thanks," Lola said, slowly backing away. "I think I'll just go to my room and-"

_*squeak*_

Lola froze as she felt her ribcage getting battered against the beat of her nervous heart and she wondered, as Luan looked at her with hawk-eyed incertitude, if she could see it thumping erratically from under her gown.

Why, oh why, did her slippery, shaky fingers have to accidentally squeeze the nose of the doll?! Why  _now_  of all times?!

"Did…did you just squeak?"

Lola rapidly shook her head hard enough for her tiara to tilt to the side comically. Her silent denial didn't deter Luan from trying to unravel the mystery of the squeak, however.

"And you know, now that I think about it, that squeak sounded an awful lot like that Miss Molly nose squeak."

"Y-ya don't say?" Lola chortled in a strained whisper as she looked from side-to-side.

Luan's eyes narrowed. "Lola, are you hiding something from me?"

Once again, all Lola could think of was shaking her head in the same manner that Charles did whenever he wanted to dry himself. Unfortunately, her older sister didn't seem to buy her denial.

"Then what's with the squeaking?" she asked, her voice testifying her waning patience.

' _Come on, Lola! Think of something! Anything! Just hurry up before she catches onto you!'_

But as Lola put her brain through the wringer, waiting in hurried anticipation for anything that could get her out of this sticky situation, she also didn't want to give Luan the impression that she was trying to…

Wait…that was it! Impression!

"Noise impressions!" Lola blurted out confidently, not forgetting to grin innocently.

Luan's dubious visage melted underneath curiosity's allure.

"Noise impressions?"

Lola nodded as the comfort of her narrow escape poured over her like a relaxing hot shower.

"Uh-huh! See, I was thinking about what new talent I should showcase during my next pageant and I came up with noise impressions!"

She began making spluttering, couching sounds that sounded akin to a malfunctioning coffee maker.

"See? That was supposed to be a lawn mower. I guess I still need more practice, huh?"

Luan looked at her for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. Normally, Lola would retaliate against anyone who dared to laugh at her when she wasn't intending to be humorous but she let out a few forced laughs to play along and not arouse suspicion. Finally, Luan muffled her giggles with one hand as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Yeah, you  _definitely_  need more practice," she teased. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually."

With that, Luan spun around, aiming to go back to her room and catch up with all the footage that she missed out on. She took a few steps forward before she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Lola.

"Oh, and sorry about startling you. I didn't mean to squeak up on you like that!"

Like clockwork, she guffawed for a few seconds and ended her laughter with, "Get it?"

Before she could wait for affirmation from Lola, who was doing her best not to groan at the cringeworthy wordplay, she walked away, obviously in too much of a hurry to stick around.

As soon as Luan's swishing ponytail disappeared from behind her doorway, Lola let out a breath she held in her lungs for far too long. That was way,  _way_  too close for comfort.

' _Only one thing left to do now,'_ Lola thought as a toothy grin came to life while she held the doll in front of her.

With the trash going out tomorrow, this was the perfect chance to make sure that a certain spotlight-stealing dolly got the business and being the performer at heart that she was, Lola was determined to deliver and deliver with poise and precision.

Would it cause Lily grief? Sure. But what was grief to a baby, someone who had little perception of things that were truly important, compared to the grief of a girl who was left by the wayside from her own family and left to wallow in despair at her abandonment?

' _Nothing,'_  Lola asserted in her head.  _'That's what.'_

With her mind made up, Lola trudged down the stairs. She had work to do and she needed to be quick about it.

* * *

_The next morning…_

Lola Loud was used to having her sleep ruined, often because of inconveniences that made a blissful awakening nigh impossible.

At least once a week, she'd be stirred awake from the itchy, slimy sensation by one of Lana's lizards accidentally escaping its cage and crawling all over her face.

Her alarm clock would also be a burden from time to time, ringing way too early for her one some occasions.

Lana's sleep-farts were a constant issue, too, either rivaling her alarm clock in abruptly waking her up when she least expected it or worse of all, the putrid smell making her gag.

However, nothing rivaled that of Lily's high-pitched, head-splitting wailing and crying first thing in the morning. The noise was loud enough to wake the dead, a testimony "confirmed" by Lucy herself. Despite her fervent insistence, Lola still wasn't a believer.

But as she grumbly tossed her blanket off her body, squirmed lazily out of bed, and mumbled angrily under her breath as she made her way out of her room, she  _was_  a believer in going through her morning rituals as quickly as possible to get away from Lily's incessant crying before it drove her mad.

The grating crying only got louder as Lola exited her bedroom. Turning around towards the bathroom, she was surprised when she saw no line of siblings leading into it. However, even through all the crying, she could also hear a rabble of voices overlapping one another. She looked behind her and saw, once again, her family huddled together as they poured outside of Lisa and Lily's bedroom.

Lola groaned as she made her way over there. It seemed like her family enjoyed being packed together like sardines over Lily these days.

"What's going on?" Lola asked from outside the doorway.

It was too crowded for her to squeeze through and see what all the commotion was for herself. As luck would have it, though, her father, who was the furthest out the door, answered her.

"Lily's been in a crying fit ever since she woke up!" Lynn Sr. replied.

"So?" Lola snorted. "I'm sure she just needs a diaper change or whatever."

"That's what we thought, too," Lynn Sr. said, "but then we realized something terrible happened!"

"She ate one of Luna's guitar picks again and has to poop it out?" Lola proposed, utterly at a loss for words at what it could be that could be causing Lily such grief.

"Worse!" her father cried as he grabbed both sides of his head in panic. "Miss Molly's gone!"

…

…

…

Oops.

"Is that so?" Lola asked innocently, her appearance belying the guilt and regret that sprout up in her belly like wild, ever-growing weeds.

Lola's eyes widened as dread clutched her breathing, making her inhalation shallow and ragged. How could she have forgotten already? Lily's pain? Her crying? It was all because of  _her_. Just yesterday, she was fine with such an outcome and most of her conviction was fostered from a belief that she would get over it eventually. After all, it wasn't like a baby could be attached to a doll forever.

But as Lily's wailing plucked at her heartstrings, she came to the heart wrenching conclusion that she couldn't live with that burden for half a second.

And the worst part? As far as she was concerned, she couldn't take it back. The trash had already gone out early in the morning as it always did, meaning that the doll was long gone by now.

She couldn't take back her horrible misdeed now. This was her choice and this was her grief to bear as the awful creature that she felt that she was.

"I'll try contacting the spirits of the dead later," Lola could hear Lucy suggest in her classic monotone. "Maybe they can find the doll so it can cease my baby sister's endless torment once we find it."

"I hope they can help, dude!" Luna exclaimed woefully. "I can't stand it when Lily's bummed out like this! It's tearing up my mind!"

Meanwhile, inside the room, Lynn was precariously dropping a tennis ball into the crib, laying it right next to Lily's fussy, wailing body.

"Here, Lily," she said softly. "You can play with one of my tennis ball inste-"

She ducked just in time as her tennis ball, which Lily chucked at her, sailed over her head. Everyone took cover as the ball bounced against the floor and the walls, nearly knocking into some of Lisa's books, blueprints, and lab equipment in the process. Finally, it all came to an end when the ball whizzed out of the open bedroom window.

"Nice serve, Loud!" Mr. Grouse shouted as hoarsely as ever.

Ignoring the sarcastic quip from his elderly neighbor, Rita went over to shut the window.

"Alright, kids, we appreciate the help but let us take it from here. Go get dressed and ready for school," she said.

The children, at least those who were in the dark about what could've happened to the doll, all left the room with sad, reluctant faces. They all shuffled past a static Lola, who watched as her mother walked over to the door and shut it.

She didn't want to move. She didn't want to do anything but stand there, rooted to the ground like a vegetable that was ready to be plucked.

What had she done? Whether she knew, ahead of time, that Lily's misery would last an hour or an entire week, didn't matter in the slightest. She had retaliated against the most innocent and least deserving member of her family, all out of jealously and misplaced spite.

And she was okay with all of that. It made her sick to her stomach and what made the queasiness grow was how disgusted her family would be with her once they found out what she had done.

' _It's just a dumb doll. Besides, babies cry all the time. I'm sure she'll get over it,'_ Lola thought.

But Lola knew better than to think of the thought as anything more than a desperate cry for mercy for an optimistic outcome that despite her wrongdoing, she wouldn't have to come clean with the truth after Lily would hopefully come around to cheering up.

After all, it wasn't like a baby could keep up with that much crying all day. Why, it wouldn't surprise her if by the time she came back home from school, with Lana by her side, Lily would peacefully sleeping in her crib.

* * *

"She's still crying?!" Lola shouted in disbelief as soon as she and Lana walked through the front door after a long day of school.

It wasn't as loud as Lola remembered, though that was due to the fact that it was all coming from upstairs. But that still didn't make the mournful squealing any more harmonious to Lola, whose insides felt like she had swallowed an entire bottle of cod liver oil and couldn't throw it up. She had done much worse than she anticipated.

"I'm afraid so," Lisa answered her from the dining room.

As Lana shut the door behind them, Lisa approached them with a notepad in her hands as her eyes studiously scanned the page.

"I've made note of every snafu that our family's collaborations have fostered. Luan's puppet shows, Luna's soothing guitar serenades, Lincoln's abdominal raspberries, Lynn's piggyback rides, and Lori's tickling have all failed to illicit a positive response from our infant sister."

"Where's Mom and Dad?" Lana asked.

Lisa pointed to her parent's bedroom. "Father is currently in state of deep-seated despondency, triggered by his failure to morally uplift his youngest progeny. Though her efforts are in vain, mother is presently attempting to encourage him through this difficult time."

"Can't anyone just buy her a new Miss Molly doll?" Lana countered.

Lisa let out a heavy sigh and shook her head.

"Apparently, our progenitors already attempted that. Unfortunately, they discovered that because the doll has been out of circulation for over thirty years, there aren't any online shopping facilities that house any potential sellers."

Lana tapped her chin in thought, contemplating on what she could do about Lily's crying.

"I guess I can try building her a rocking horse," Lana shrugged.

"It's as good an attempt as anything we've already tried, I suppose," Lisa said as Lana went off to do just that.

She then turned to Lola and asked, "Lola, what will you do?"

Lola tasted the bitterness of defeat before and she never liked its pungent flavor. But this unsavory feeling was amplified tenfold compared to all of those past experiences of personal failure. Unlike times where she knew she messed up and knew just how to fix what she had done wrong, this time, she didn't have a clue.

The most heinous, evil deed of her whole life didn't have a solution but as Lola mulled her predicament over, she knew what should be done about this whole mess, regardless if it didn't offer Lily relief.

"I've got an idea," Lola said cryptically as she shuffled past Lisa sadly, heading for her room.

She didn't know if this dilemma could be resolved with a quick easy fix but what she  _did_  know was that this situation demanded justice and that was exactly what Lola would initiate.

Later, during dinner, she was going to confess and she'd accept whatever came to her because of it.

* * *

_Later that evening…_

Dinner time, no matter how mundane everyone's day had been, never failed to strike up a conversation at the Louds. It made sense, after all. What was ambient silence to a family of thirteen?

Well, a family of  _twelve_  for tonight. Lily was absent from the table. She had finally fallen asleep about an hour ago but even then, the tranquility didn't give the Louds much hope. It would only be a matter of time before Lily would wake up and start the cycle all over again.

Hence why, ever since the remaining Louds were called to dinner, no one had the gumption to break the awkward silence with anything that could liven up their moods.

Lola found that, as she shoveled another spoonful of corn into her mouth, that suited her just fine. After all, it was the perfect atmosphere to lay out all her cards on the table and do what had to be done.

She looked around the dinner table, finding everyone sullenly occupied with their meals to interrupt her. Seizing the moment, she took her spoon and lightly tapped it against her drinking glass, drawing the attention of her family to her in an instant.

Their faces, full of intrigue, were soon to be full of rage. It was inevitability that made Lola squirm in her chair but it was far too late to pretend like she didn't deserve to be chewed out.

"I have a confession to make," she said solemnly.

Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes and squeezed her spoon for dear life.

"I know what happened to the Miss Molly doll."

Immediately, a bum rush of questions from all sides filled her ears. She squeezed her eyes tighter through all of it, not wanting to meet anyone's gazes. Looking them in the eye while confessing was a price, even in her sought-out penance, even she didn't feel like paying.

"Settle down, settle down! Let Lola speak!" Rita called out, silencing the room once more.

"Lola, you have the floor," Lynn Sr. said.

"What about the ceiling?" Leni asked. "Does she have that, too?"

Her simple-minded questions earned her a few snickers. Even Lynn Sr. had to crack a grin at that one.

"Alright, that's enough distractions," Rita affirmed sternly. "Let's get back to Lola."

Lola was quivering now, so much so that she let go of the spoon and heard it clatter on her plate as it did. She knew she'd get some comments out of concern for what she just did so she opted to get her admission out of the way before she could get sidetracked any further.

"I know what happened to the doll because…b-because…"

Tears plopped out of her squeezed eyelids, tears that Lola didn't bother to brush away.

"Because I threw it in the trash yesterday!"

Despite the way she felt earlier, she just had to see what they felt, how their faces would be twisted with deathly frowns and how their eyes would harness hatred and contempt for her.

But as she opened her eyes, slowly, she gasped at what she was met with.

Shock. Pure, unadulterated shock. In Lola's mind, this was  _worse_  than rage. It was if they couldn't settle on what they should feel as their minds scrambled about to process what their ears had heard; the truth that one of their own could be so evil.

But after ten seconds, all of that changed. Lisa, who rarely showed any expression, was the first to scowl out of the group. She gave Lola one final glare as she left the dinner table without a word. Lola was in too much of a trance to follow her movements, especially since now, her parents' hardened stares kept her frozen in fear.

"Lola, what possessed you to do that to Lily?" Lynn Sr. asked her calmly, his ire repressed beneath the surface.

Lola looked down at her plate and sniffled.

"I was sick and tired of everyone paying more attention to Lily than me."

"So, you thought it'd be fair to deprive Lily of her joy over  _jealousy_?" Rita asked bitterly.

"It wasn't just jealousy," Lola clarified meekly. "I needed help with my pageant yesterday and everyone ignored me to fawn over Lily. I was frustrated that nobody seemed to care enough about me to help me when I needed it."

There. It was finished and she was sure that now, as a beloved member of the family, that run was also finished.

Lola continued to look at her plate distressingly while she waited for the final judgment.

"Well, Lola, I hope you understand what you've done is wrong," Lynn Sr. said.

Lola sniffled again. "I do."

"And I also hope that you understand that because of what you did, you're going to be severely punished, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I  _warned_  you not to act out over not coming in first place and yet you still went and did something completely underhanded and cruel to your baby sister. And because of that, you'll have to live with your third-place finish because that is the last pageant you'll ever be participating in. At least, for a long time."

Her dinner became splattered with her runny tears over the proclamation. It was a fate she hadn't seen coming despite her father's warning from yesterday.

"I understand," she replied, her voice quivering.

But she knew that a pageant ban wasn't the worse of it. As far as she was concerned, she was banned from the family now. They wouldn't love her out of genuine emotion. Instead, they would take care of her out of obligation.

And really, even with their obvious contempt with her, in Lola's mind, that was mercy, a gift that she knew that she didn't deserve.

With a bowed head, she excused herself from the dinner table. Her appetite was long gone and the scornful looks on her family's faces wouldn't help the food go down any better.

All she wanted to do now was sleep; sleep and wake up from this terrible nightmare.

* * *

_The next morning…_

The cold shoulder had never felt colder, especially when it was administered by her siblings.

As Lola expected, none of her siblings were in the mood to speak to her or acknowledge her at all in any way. Once she approached the line to the bathroom, the mingling of her sisters and only brother came to a grinding halt when they saw her coming. Without even attempting to be subtle, they looked away from her as their eyes trained at the bathroom door.

Breakfast was even worse. Lori had cooked breakfast for everyone and as she passed bacon around, once she came to Lola, what plopped on her plate was a shriveled-up, black husk of dried pork that had no business being called bacon. Lori, of course, went about her way as if nothing amiss had happened.

And finally, as Lola headed out the door, ready to walk to the school bus, she didn't even try to get close to Lana, who was walking ahead of her by at least five feet. Something told her that the distance between them was a deliberate action on Lana's part.

Lola knew she'd be in for it this morning but this far exceeded her expectations. What was worse was just like yesterday, the first thing she awoke to was Lily's nearly non-stop crying. The noise didn't cause much physical discomfort anymore but it certainly took its toll on her conscience.

But, despite everything that her less than pleasant morning had brought about, there was still hope brewing within Lola. After she had gone to bed early yesterday, she had racked her brain for what she felt like were hours, trying to come up with a way to make Lily better. Even if she  _could_  get over the Miss Molly mishap, that didn't mean that Lola had done everything she needed to do. Her family had already made attempts at trying to fix her mess and none of them had succeeded. Even if she failed, she at least needed to do something and she needed to do it as soon as possible.

But then, late at night, while her twin sister slept soundly,  _it_  came to her. The idea made her twitch and cringe in repulsion but if anything was going to rectify her mistake, it was the desperate plan she had cooked up.

And even though she wasn't on the best terms with her, she was going to need Lana in order to pull it off.

* * *

Knowing Lana like the back of her hand, Lola knew that Lana would either be swinging about on the monkey bars in the school's playground or digging through the dumpsters behind the school during recess. Sure enough, not a trace of her tomboy twin sister was anywhere in sight at the monkey bars so with quick haste, Lola went around to the other side of the school until at last, she arrived at a large, conspicuous dumpster that was shaking and rattling about.

That only meant two things; either Principal Huggins still hadn't cracked down on the raccoon infestation problem or Lana was having a ball as she rolled around in garbage.

Only one way to find out.

"Lana?"

The rattling came to a stop, indicating that Lana was indeed inside.

"Lana, can you hear me?" Lola called again when she didn't get an immediate response.

Lola grew impatient when once again, Lana refused to say anything to her. It wasn't a surprise, seeing as she was on the family blacklist, but if she was going to get Lily to be happy again, she needed Lana's help.

"Lana, I know you're in there. You always go dumpster diving during recess. Come out of there. I need to talk to you. It's really important."

Hoping that her begging tone would spur some empathy for her cause, she was crestfallen when Lana resorted to patronizing her.

"Bitey, did you hear something?" Lana's voice asked haughtily.

The sound of mouse squeaking echoed from within the dumpster.

"Yeah, me too," she continued. "It sounded like a stranger. We should ignore 'em. Mom and Dad said to never talk to strangers."

Even though she knew she couldn't see her, Lola dropped to her knees, getting stains of dirt and garbage juice seeping into the fabric.

"Lana, please, I need you! I want to make things right and I need your help!"

No reply. Just silence for far longer than Lola was comfortable with. Had she really screwed up so badly that the idea of making amends repulsed Lana, even more than swimming about in literal trash? Apparently so.

But just as it seemed that all hope was lost, she heard the dumpster rattling again. Her heart soared as she watched Lana climb out and stand before her, arms folded and frowning while her pet rat nestled underneath her cap. Lola couldn't care less about her horrible smell, as she usually did. Beggars couldn't be choosers and sisters who treated their baby sisters like trash had even less say.

"What's your plan?" Lana asked impatiently.

Sensing her window of opportunity slipping by the second, Lola hurriedly got on her feet and ignored her instincts to pull away from her filth covered sister as she leaned in and whispered her plan in her ear.

By the time she was done, Lana had a grin on her face that was infectious enough for Lola to replicate. She had done it! She had earned Lana's favor! There was hope, after all!

"Woah, are you serious?" Lana questioned skeptically despite her enthusiasm.

Lola nodded. She couldn't blame Lana for wanting to figure it out if she meant what she said or not. She'd never dream of going  _there_  of all places before, after all. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

"That sounds awesome! When do you want to do it?!" Lana asked excitedly.

"Once we get back home," Lola said. "Everyone'll be too distracted with Lily to pay any attention to what I'm up to."

Thinking that there was nothing more to be said than that, Lola turned away from her to leave.

"Are you sure about this, Lola? You might get in more trouble," Lana said with a serious tone.

It was true. She would get in more trouble. There was no "might" about it. But Lola had already made up her mind.

She looked back at Lana, who was looking at her concernedly and said, her voice steeled in conviction, "I don't care about that. I just want my baby sister to smile again."

She tensed up when Lana ran to her, looking to wrap her up in a big hug. Before she could so, Lola put a hand up, stopping her in her tracks.

"Let's save the hugs until after you've cleaned up a bit," she said with a smile.

* * *

Lola's prediction came to pass when the twins arrived home. As she thought, no one gave Lola the time of day as they scrambled about like madmen, trying to find a solution to Lily's crying, which echoed throughout the entire house as Rita held her infant daughter in her arms, lightly rocking her back and forth and shushing her to the best of her abilities.

' _Just hold on, Lily,'_  Lola thought as she raced to her bedroom.

Once she got inside, she got to work right away. She shimmied out of her clothes, stripped herself of all of her jewelry, and slipped into one of Lana's fresh overalls and a pair of her sneakers. To top off her new look, she quickly tied her long hair into a bun. She wanted to keep it as clean as possible for what she aimed to do and having it long and flowing would make that unlikely.

After that, she hopped into her princess car and sped off, not caring about being spotted since she was sure that no one would bother to question where she was going. Thanks to the car's tire traction, despite the bumpy ride, it was easy for her to ride down the stairs without falling off or spinning out of control. Once she reached the bottom, she weaved past her frantic siblings until she rode out the house through the backyard door. She parked in the middle of the grassy lawn and waited for Lana to arrive so she could get a move on with her plan.

It was a simple one and a procedure that she was surprised that no one else had attempted before she did.

All trash in Royal Woods went to one place, the city dump. Mountains of garbage as far as the eye could see, stretching out for miles within a gated vicinity that barred any trespassers with warning signs, promising swift retribution for anyone getting caught breaking that rule. Lola had been to a similar place before, the junkyard. One time, she and her family raced there to rescue Vanzilla from getting smashed and broken apart. She was too trapped in panic to mind her surroundings and pay heed to all the dust and dirt that threatened to ruin her image. Retrieving their old, beloved family van was much more important.

But a landfill? That would be much worse. Lola's nose wrinkled at the anticipated smell of all the rotten food, moldy clothing, and disease-ridden flies, rodents, and cockroaches that were sure to be crawling around in there. But within that heap of trash had to be Miss Molly. It had only been a little more than a day since it was taken out with the trash, so Lola surmised that somewhere in that foul-smelling place would be the doll.

Now, all that she needed Lana to do was give her the directions she needed to get there and she'd be on her way.

' _And there she is now,'_  Lola thought as she heard the backyard door opening and saw Lana sprinting out to meet her.

Expecting her to just stand by the car and hand her off a map of some sort, Lola was taken aback when Lana hopped in the other seat and buckled herself in.

That hadn't been part of the plan.

"Lana? What're you-"

"What? You thought I wouldn't come with you to the city dump?"

Lola chuckled. Of course, Lana would want to go to the city dump. She felt a little silly for her to bank on any other scenario than that. But still, it felt fair to warn Lana of what would happen if she came along with her.

"Fair enough," Lola said. "Remember, though, trespassers aren't allowed. You'll get in trouble if Mom and Dad find out."

"Psshaw!" Lana snorted. "Like that's ever stopped me! I go there all the time! You won't believe all the half-eaten donuts you can find just lyin' around! It's paradise!"

Lola felt bile and vomit slowly rising to her throat but willed it down. If she couldn't get past a simple description of what she'd be embracing, she wouldn't last ten seconds in the city dump.

"Let's just go before I start having second thoughts," Lola said dryly.

* * *

_20 minutes later…_

"Here we are," Lana said as Lola parked next to a gate, constructed of rotten wood.

Warning signs were nailed all over it, forewarning trespassers from entering in uninvited.

The trip hadn't taken long, thanks to Lana's instructions, and in no time, the twins had made it to their destination. Thanks to Lana's advice, they were stationed next to a part of the gate that not only had no witnesses around to see what they'd be up to but a hole at the bottom of the gate, just big enough to ensure that a pair of six-year-old interlopers could squeeze through, served as both their entry and their getaway exit.

Hopping out the car, Lana led the way as she effortlessly pushed through the hole. Silently, she beckoned Lola to come forward.

Apprehensively, Lola approached the hole and got down on her knees. Repressing her vomiting reflex from the odor that filled her nose, Lola cautiously inched forward, slipped through the opening, and met her sister on the other side.

A tsunami of foul aromas compelled Lola to hold her breath and pinch her nose. Lana noticed this and chortled.

"Aw, don't be such a baby, sis. You'll get used to it," she teased as she nudged Lola in the ribs playfully.

Before Lola could respond, Lana raced off into the oasis of waste, diving headfirst into a heap of trash that enticed her the most.

Lola couldn't, and wouldn't, blame Lana for not appearing to have the doll rescue operation in mind. It wasn't her fault that Miss Molly was here and if anything, Lola would only find satisfaction in finding it herself.

With one last look at the hills and seas of garbage that laid out before her, Lola sighed and got to work as fast as she could before second thoughts hindered her.

* * *

_One hour later…_

Anyone who knew Lola well knew that getting dirty was at the very top of her list of annoyances.

But now, as she rummaged through yet another pile of trash, wading through old Chinese carryout box, tires, banana peels, buzzing flies, and other items of refuse, she couldn't bother to care about how she looked and to Lana's credit, at this point, she had gotten used to the awful smell that at first, actually made her throw up before she could take another step through the landfill.

Covered from head to toe in stains and filth, the stench of her sweat and trash emanating from her person, Lola had to once again, think back home to Lily, her baby sister that she had made miserable. The mental image of her crying and wailing surged her to move forward and not to give up until her doll was found.

Still, Lola was starting to lose patience. Her feet ached from all the walking, her arms were sore from the lifting of trash as she submerged deeper and deeper into the heart of the dump, and the hot afternoon Sun was baking her to a crisp. She knew this wouldn't be easy but this was starting to gnaw away at any hope that she could pull through with this plot for another second. She just had to find reprieve and fast.

"Wahoo! Awesome!"

Lola spun around quickly and saw, for a distance, Lana popping out from a hill of garbage and holding onto something in one hand. Lola couldn't see it clearly but she hoped that Lana's jubilant cry meant one very important thing.

"Did you find the doll?!" she called out to her.

"Nope!" Lana replied loudly."I found a carton of expired milk! From 1995!"

Lana opened her mouth wide and tipped the milk carton toward her lips. She groaned when nothing came out.

"Aw, man! It's empty!"

Lola sighed and moved on while Lana dealt with her "milk crisis". This was going to take forever at this rate.

And so, Lola spent a few more minutes searching, getting even more dirty in the process. She scratched her itchy skin as smears of muck and gunk caked into her skin, particularly up and down her arms and chin.

She was so engrossed in her torment that before she knew it, she bumped into another heap of trash, the collision knocking her on her rear and into a puddle of dirty water. Cringing and squirming at the tingly feeling her skin got when the water soaked her, Lola growled in irritation and slowly rose to her feet.

But before she could throw in the towel and call it a day, what appeared to be a beam of dazzling, sparkling light shone down a few feet away from her. Assuming it was just a beam of sunlight, Lola gave it a passing glance until something within the radiance caught her eye.

"Is it…could it be?"

She ventured closer until her newfound discovery came into view. Despite herself and the uncomfortableness she was contending with, Lola couldn't help but yell out, her voice full of mirth and joy, "It is! It's Miss Molly! Lana, I found it! Come quick!"

She was met with silence.

"Lana?"

Once again, her twin sister was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd she go?" Lola wondered but gave it no further thought than a few seconds.

Right now, she had a dolly to grab and the sooner she got her, the sooner she could get out as fast as she could. It was a miracle that they hadn't been discovered and she didn't feel like wasting what could've been borrowed time by loitering around.

' _Almost there.'_

She stood before what was now, without a shadow of a doubt, the item of her interest. The doll was embedded in a heap of trash, its face surprisingly unmarred by filth. With shaky hands, Lola reached for her target slowly, wanting to pluck out the toy without causing an avalanche of waste to submerge her entirely.

' _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…'_

Seizing Miss Molly by her hand, Lola tugged with one quick motion and procured the doll.

"Yes!" she squealed.

She never thought she'd see the day where she'd be happy to see Miss Molly but after everything that she done, her elation was appropriate. But now it was time to depart and that meant that Lana had come along, too. Deciding to just go back to the car and call her from there, Lola did just that as she retraced her steps through the maze of rubbish until she made it back to the hole. But before she could crawl through, she heard a sharp clanking noise behind her.

"Lana? Was that you?"

She spun around just in time to see a tin can rolling, almost ominously, towards her. It came to a stop by her feet. Lola shook her head. Apparently, Lana was trying to get the drop on her with a little scare and she had been too clumsy in her attempt.

"Come on out, Lana. You're not scaring me," Lola said snidely as she rolled her eyes.

A low, animalistic growling answered her haughtiness. Lola's eyes widened at the noise, her mind conjuring up several depictions of the kind of creature could make such a noise. Her heartbeat sped up and more sweat began to drop down her face. Before she knew it, she was on the ground, curled up in a ball and waiting with labored, bated breath for the anonymity to come to an end.

She was too frightened, too scared to simply just crawl through the hole behind her. She was absolutely frozen now as light footsteps grew louder and louder, promising to reveal the source of her fears in a manner of seconds.

And then… _they_  appeared. Three Doberman hounds, standing side by side, and growling at Lola in tandem. Saliva dripped from their jowls as they bared their gleaming, sharp teeth. Lola, who was hyperventilating and fit to burst, tried to beg them away.

"N-n-nice doggies," she cooed as she shook in fright.

The towering canines paid no mind to her startled voice and shaky appearance, opting to approach her slowly.

"Uh…r-roll over?"

Still, they ignored her as they advanced further.

"P-play dead?"

Lola shrunk into the ground further as at this point, the dogs were looming over her, surrounding her from all sides. The girl could only sob and close her eyes. Whatever these dogs were going to do to her, she just wanted them to get it over with already. She uttered one last apology to Lily, begging for forgiveness for not pulling through for her in the end.

Suddenly, high-pitched whistling caught her ears, coaxing her to open her eyes. Through the strong, stocky limbs of the dogs, Lola could see none other than Lana, whistling at the dogs from a short distance. She did so once more, prompting the dogs to turn their attention to her instead. However, unlike with Lola, they charged at her, barking viciously all the while.

"Lana, look out!" Lola cried.

She couldn't peel away, couldn't turn her head from the horror she thought she would witness as the three beasts tore her twin sister apart. Lola watched helplessly as one by one, each dog approached Lana…

And began licking at her face while Lana laughed from the tickling sensation their affection elicited.

Mouth agape, Lola slowly approached her, stopping just a few feet away from her and her supposed new friends. She still didn't trust the chances of those dogs not snapping and viciously mauling them both.

"How did you do that?"

Lana turned to her sister, giggling as she was lathered in dog tongue from all sides.

"What? These guys? Aw, they're harmless. They just  _look_  vicious. They probably just wanted to lick your face."

Lana whistled again and this time, the dogs sprawled out on their backs, giving Lana the chance to point to each dog from left to right.

"See, this one's Franklin, that one is Schroeder, and the guy on the far end is Shermy. Aren't they cute?"

Lola stifled a laugh. Leave it to Lana to find a trio of scary looking dogs cute.

"Plus, it really helps to get friendly with 'em if you have dog biscuits," she said as she pulled out a handful of dog treats from her overalls pocket and tossed a few into each dog's awaiting mouth before she started giving them belly rubs.

"And why, if I may ask, do you have dog biscuits on you?" Lola asked.

She drew back and stuck her tongue out in disgust when Lana grabbed some more dog biscuits and started munching away without a care in the world.

"Deh yu shaw shumfin'?" Lana asked, crumbs of dog biscuit flying out of her mouth.

"Honestly, I'm just surprised that I even needed to ask," Lola snorted as she waited for her twin to finish up with her "meal".

When Lana swallowed the last of her treats and bid the dogs goodbye as they scampered away, Lola ran up to her and presented the doll to her.

"Anyways, Lana, check it out!"

Lana beamed. "You found the doll!"

She gave Lola a light punch in the shoulder.

"Way to go, sis! I always knew you could get down and dirty with the best of 'em!"

She took the doll from Lola's grasp and gave it a once over, her eyes narrowed in thorough examination. Once she was finished, she handed it back to Lola before announcing, "She doesn't even look that dirty. Just a few mustard stains on her dress. I can totally lick those out."

"Better let Mom wash it instead," Lola replied. "It'll be way easier, anyways."

Lana's cheeks puffed as she folded her arms and pouted, "Aw, why can't I have any fun?"

* * *

The twins got back home in record time, thanks entirely to Lana's driving. Lola was always reluctant to let Lana drive her car, fearing that her reckless driving would not only get her precious convertible destroyed but in the process, get both of them hurt. But after swimming through litter for an hour, she was too exhausted to handle the trip back home herself.

They drove around the house until they parked just next to one of the flower beds. Wearily, Lola fumbled out of the car, the doll stuffed in her overalls pocket. She waited for Lana to approach her before she addressed her.

"Alright, Lana, you sneak inside through the doggy door. I'll go through the front door and face the music."

"The front door?" Lana asked. "Won't you get caught?"

"Probably but it's not like I'll be able to fool anyone by lying about where we've been. They'll know what I was doing once I show them that I have the doll. Might as well just get it over with."

Besides, if getting in trouble was what this entire trip was going to cost her, that suited her just fine. Before she could stroll towards the front door, she was stopped in her tracks as Lana walked in front of her and held her tightly in a hug. More filth clung on Lola in the process but at this point, she didn't care. She was being granted love from her a member of her family and from her closest sister, at that. She'd take whatever she could get if it meant that she was in Lana's good graces again.

"Good luck," Lana whispered before she broke away and ventured towards the doggy door.

Lola watched as Lana disappeared into the house and knew that it was time for her to make herself known, for better or worse. It took longer than it normally should've but normally, Lola wouldn't be dog-tired after dragging herself through heaps of trash to look for one of Lily's toys.

Finally, at the front door, Lola tried her luck at simply open it with a turn of the doorknob. She was met with resistance at the attempt and Lola chided herself for not realizing why sooner; leaving the door unlocked was an old habit of the Loud children. There was no way they'd fall back on old habits, especially with the sky nearly turning black to signify the arrival of evening.

With no option left, she tapped her fist against the door several times, knowing that ringing the doorbell would only result in a sharp, stinging shock. She waited several second until finally, the door swung open, bathing her in light from the lit living room. Lola immediately noticed that, besides the fact it was Lynn that opened the door for her, some of her siblings were chilling out on the family couch, watching some program on TV.

"Lola?" Lynn asked with uncertainty, clearly taken aback by Lola's appearance. "Is that you?"

Lola couldn't find it in her to reply with words and just nodded while she shuffled her foot back and forth shyly as she looked at the planks of their front porch.

"Lola, what're you doing out here and…"

Lynn's nose curled as Lola's stench drifted through her nostrils. She pinched her nose, though an amused grin was plastered on her face all the same.

"Gah! Why do you reek so bad?! You smell worse than the backend of a horse!" she guffawed.

Lola sighed and brushed past her laughing older sister. She didn't expect to be laughed at. Her foul nauseating odor wafted through the air, making the sisters on the couch follow suit and dry heave. However, in no time, much like Lynn, they apparently found the unsightly, grimy appearance of Lola to be humorous.

"Jeez, Lola, just because your attitude stinks doesn't mean  _you_  have to stink, too!" Luan joked, earning an uproar of laughter and a fist bump from Lori, who joined in on the ridicule.

"Guess you fancied yourself a dip in a pigsty?" she teased between chuckles.

Yet again, cackling and sniggering filled the air and even Leni couldn't resist the allure of joining in.

"You smell bad!" she squealed in delight.

Even Leni's terrible joke couldn't quell the levity. By now, Luna, who hadn't said anything, was rolling on the floor and pounding her fists against the carpet while Lynn leaned against the open door, clutching her ribs together as laugh-induced tears spilled from her eyes.

Lola felt blood rushing to her face as her sibling's teasing rattled around in her skull.

She had wanted everyone's attention and now, she was getting it in the worst way. She'd find the irony poetic if she wasn't so embarrassed.

Before the fun and games could continue, Lynn Sr. and Rita walked in from their bedroom, looking around at the scene in front of them.

"Kids? What's with all the commotion?" Rita asked and halted in her tracks when she caught the faint smell of litter filling her nose. "And why does it smell like a garbage dump in here?"

The teasing siblings put a clamp on their laughter immediately and all of them pointed to Lola, who still refused to look up at anyone.

"Lola?!" Lynn Sr. cried out as he ran up to her and knelt down when he was in front of her. "Lola, how did you get so filthy?!"

Before Lola could answer, Lynn Sr.'s eyes inspected her clothes until they rested on the passenger that Lola housed on the overalls pocket.

"Miss Molly?" he whispered in surprise.

Without waiting for Lola to respond, he lifted it out and tenderly held it out in front of him. As if he wanted to test if this was all some crazy fever dream, he dared his hand forward and squeezed on the nose, drawing out a squeak that only a genuine Miss Molly doll could emit. He gasped in amazement and looked down at Lola again.

"But Lola…how did you find her?" he asked.

At this point, all trepidation to come clean with herself was gone. With nothing left to do but confess, she explained, "I went to the city dump because I was trying to look for her. I wanted to make Lily feel better after I made her sad."

But now that she mentioned her, she couldn't hear Lily's crying at all.

"Speaking of Lily, where is she?"

"Thankfully, she's taking a nap," Leni said. "Luna finally managed to get her to sleep after about going through fifty-three lullabies."

But then, Leni didn't seem too sure of herself as she rubbed her chin and looked up at the ceiling.

"Or was it fifty-two? Yeah, I think it was fifty-two. That comes after seventeen, right?"

Ignoring Leni for the time being (he could always educate her on the numerical line after seventeen later), Lynn Sr. looked behind him towards Luna and said, "Thanks again, sweetheart."

"No prob, Pop," Luna replied.

Turning back to Lola now, he stood up. Lola's eyes scaled up his body until they rested on his face. She didn't know what to expect from him but a stony look was one that she dreaded. Had she fallen so far that not even her efforts could muster some smidge of forgiveness from her father?

"So, let me get this straight. You trespassed into the city dump and waded around in trash and filth for…"

He looked down at his watch and frowned.

"What, an hour or so, I take it?"

Lola just rubbed the back of her neck meekly. Facing the music was one thing but embracing indifference for her plan's success was an experience she didn't think she could take.

"Lola…"

' _Here it comes.'_

"I have never been prouder of you."

...

...

...

What? Seriously? Huh. How about that.

"Y-you're serious?" Lola questioned, not believing her ears nor her eyes as they looked upon her father's proud grin.

"Oh, believe me, young lady, you were incredibly irresponsible and you could've gotten yourself hurt but still, you went through so much trouble to do what you felt was right. Yes, it was misguided, but you did more than anyone could've asked you to do. Not only did you save a part of my childhood, more importantly, you saved a part of Lily's."

Lola scanned around the room, feeling prouder with each passing second as each of her siblings had smiles of their own, too. It was a sign to her that after being evaded purposefully by them, they were no longer disgusted by being associated with her. It was enough to make Lola tear up a bit.

Just then, she spotted her mother coming from the dining room. Lola surmised that she must've left the living room to take care of some business and when she came closer into view, it became clear as day what that business was.

"And I take it she had an accomplice?" Rita asked as she came to her husband's side, returning with a certain twin sister that she heard trying to sneak in from the kitchen.

Lana waved shyly at Lola, who did the same. So much for not getting caught. And peaking of getting caught, how would her parents handle a pair of naughty twins like them?

"So…are we in trouble?" Lola asked timidly.

She sighed in relief when her father chuckled.

"No, definitely not," he said with a shake of the head. "Just to be clear, though, you are to never go anywhere near that city dump again. It's far too dangerous and it's against the law to even be in there to begin with. That goes for the both of you."

He gave his attention to Lola and reached to wipe away a smidge of much under her eye with his thumb.

"Besides, a princess should always look her best," he told her warmly. "And in addition, I think we can all agree that your pageant ban should only last around a month because of what you did for Lily."

But then, a sad, guilty frown came to his face. Lola wasn't sure why but she knew she'd find out in a second.

"And well, there's something else that I need to say and I was wrong for not telling it you much way sooner than now. I think I can speak on behalf of the family when I say that we're sorry for brushing you off like we've been doing to you lately. We weren't right to neglect you in your time of need. We'll never let that happen again."

Lola blinked. She had forgotten entirely about that in her rush to get back Miss Molly. Add her  _own_  feelings of guilt to the mix and it only made it more difficult to remember that yes, she had been wronged as well.

But even so, Lola knew that there was a lesson to be learned from all of this and more importantly, there was a promise that she had to commit to from now on, too.

"And I promise not to go crazy just because Lily gets more attention than I do," she said as she crossed her heart and hoped to never get this dirty and yucky ever again. "Besides, there's more than enough room in the spotlight for two Loud cuties."

"And thankfully, there's more than enough room in the bathtub for two dirty Louds," Rita said amusedly. "Move along, you two. You're getting a bath right now."

She held tighter to Lana, who grumbled as she was dragged upstairs by her mother to her least favorite part of the house.

At the prospect of getting clean, Lola sighed contently and followed them close behind.

"Music to my ears," she said, finding delight in Lana's futile struggles.

Though she was thrilled about scrubbing away hours of sweat and dirt off of her, she just hoped that all the same, Lana wouldn't try to eat her cucumber scented bar of soap again.


End file.
